Kungkungan Bay Resort prides itself on being the original muck diving resort. Opened in 1994 with muck diving as the main attraction, this resort charted new territory and a whole new diving style. This enviable secluded and private waterside location, with views of Lembeh Island, has all but one of its seventeen rooms directly on the beach. For guests, this resort offers the most leisurely of land-based scuba diving vacations; with just a few steps from your room, you are at the water’s edge, at the dive centre, boarding the dive boat, or drinking a cocktail. Not only that, the majority of dive sites are just 5 minutes away, and the private house reef is superb which makes this resort ideal if you love diving but not boats. To get to Kungkungan Bay Resort, you need to connect to Manado International Airport where the team will meet you and drive the 80 minutes to your ocean side retreat.

Accommodation

There are seventeen air-conditioned rooms which offer a choice of four styles of accommodation. The Beachfront Cottage Suites are the original rooms crafted from coconut wood by the local missionary woodworking school. These suites are well cared for and have enjoyed constant updates to ensure they’re immaculate. They’re a spacious duplex design featuring a separate bedroom, living room, and large bathroom with walk-in stone shower. Guests share the fabulous waterfront veranda with their neighbors.

Local villagers build houses in their yards for sale and relocation; Kungkungan Bay chose four of these structures to become their Beachfront Traditional Houses and had them by the ocean. Each of the four houses are l-shaped and feature a queen sized double bed at each end of the ‘L’ with a common lounge area in the middle that offers some privacy for each sleeping area. These rooms have large bathrooms with a stone walk-in shower and satellite TV with movie channels.

The Beachfront Villas are individual units which offer a spacious open plan accommodation style. These villas comprise of a stunning veranda with breathtaking views from which you can enjoy private in-room dining, a desk and work area as well as spacious sitting area and bathroom which even boasts a tub as well as a walk-in stone shower.

As the name might suggest, the Hillside Villa is the only villa not on the ocean, but it does still have fantastic views from the 2nd-floor bedroom. French doors open onto a small balcony from where you can drink in the view. The ground floor of this romantic hideaway is where you will find your sitting room.

The Owners Suite is both private yet central to the resort. It has a living room and two bedrooms, one with a luxurious king-size bed and one with twin beds. The house is built on stilts; stay here and enjoy the fabulous views from your front porch.

Kungkungan Bay Resort offers packages that combine either your room and food or your room, food, and diving. Ask us for advice on which package will suit your requirements best.

Dining

You have several options for dining at Kungkungan Bay Resort. The main over-water restaurant features dishes from all over the world and is available to you 24 hours a day. What makes this resorts meals so great is their long history. When the resort opened, there were no supplies to the area catering to international guests, so everything was made from scratch. Today you will still enjoy homemade breads, croissants, tortillas, sauces, dressings, and much more; meals are cooked from scratch to order, and you can taste the difference. Apart from international cuisine, each night a different special meal invites you to enjoy an Indonesian local specialty personally chosen by their chef. Room service is also available, and the team also enjoy throwing poolside BBQs with music, singing, and dancing.

Captain Billy’s Bar is located above the main restaurant and enjoys great views from the veranda. The fully stocked bar serves as a social area with flat screen TVs for those sporting events that you just can’t miss or those underwater images and videos of marine life that you hopefully didn’t miss. Free Hors-d'oeuvres are served at happy hour, and an American Finger Food menu can be ordered from if you just can’t tear yourself away to go downstairs. Darts and board games are available here too, and if you are up for a party, Captain Billy’s can turn the music up and disco lights on!

Other facilities

Centrally located by the pool, the Tepi Laut Spa offers many treatments to relax and rejuvenate. Individual and couples rooms are available for you to enjoy a range of massage styles, rejuvenation packages, and beauty treatments.

If you fancy leaving the peace of Kungkungan Bay Resort there are a number of tours and excursions available, some of which can be fitted in without you missing a dive. Dive-friendly options include visiting the traditional local markets or taking a jungle tour to Tangkoko Duasudara Nature Reserve where the highlight is the tiny Tarsier. This tiny monkey is just 10cm tall. Full day trips include the highlights of either the Minahasa Highland area or the Manado area, each take in local tradition, culture and crafts as well as some stunning scenery.

Diving

As muck diving pioneers, the guys at Kungkungan Bay Resort know how it’s done and where it’s at. The furthest of the 50 available dive sites lies just 15 minutes away by boat, with the average trip time being just 5 minutes. Their private house reef is just for guests and has been protected for over 20 years, and it really shows! Choose a dive package and unlimited house reef dives are complimentary.

The dive centre has its own boats, private jetty, and dedicated camera room and rinse tank. Full dive equipment is available for hire, but it is advisable to ensure your scuba diving travel agent arranges for this before your visit. Nitrox is on offer and can be included in an inclusive diving package or as a surcharge to individual dives; your scuba diving travel agent will help you choose the best package for you.

The dive centre offers PADI Discover Scuba Dives and PADI Scuba Diver and Open Water Certifications for those new to diving. Calm, clear waters with little current provide for a great learning experience. PADI Advanced Courses and a range specialties are available too.

Their passion for imaging is quite impressive. So much so that the team can arrange for and advise on the purchase of many underwater photography and video items from Sea and Sea, Inon, Nikon, and Canon. If you’re not quite ready to invest, top quality equipment from Inon and Sea and Sea are available for you to rent with in-house pros available to assist you as you dive into macro photography.